

Cisco ACI and Akamai Guardicore Segmentation compete in the network management and security category. Cisco ACI appears to have the upper hand due to its extensive feature set and scalability, although Akamai shines in ease of policy management and microsegmentation.
Features: Cisco ACI offers comprehensive automation, centralized management, and integration capabilities with vCenter and VMware that enhance network operations. Its programmability allows for advanced policy control, while providing robust security features. In contrast, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is known for its microsegmentation abilities, providing visibility into network traffic, and offering high control over segmentation across diverse platforms.
Room for Improvement: Cisco ACI is complex, with a steep learning curve and user interface challenges. Users express a need for more thorough documentation and improved integration with other Cisco products. Akamai Guardicore segmentation could benefit from better automation features and integration with other tools, and enhancements in simplifying long-term policy management and payload-level inspection.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Although Cisco ACI is suitable for on-premises, private, and hybrid cloud environments, its deployment is often seen as complex. The technical support from Cisco is generally positive, yet feedback varies by region and complexity of the issues. Akamai Guardicore Segmentation supports public, private, and hybrid cloud deployments, and its technical support is praised for responsiveness and flexibility, which includes working with customers on licensing and contracts.
Pricing and ROI: Cisco ACI is noted for being expensive, a concern for smaller organizations, yet some users find value in reduced operational costs and resource management efficiency. Akamai Guardicore Segmentation, though also pricier, offers flexible licensing models and delivers good value through its comprehensive features and strong support. It is seen as competitively priced compared to similar solutions, with potential ROI from enhanced security and efficiency.
You don't need to change anything in the network because it's not a network thing.
I have not seen a return on investment in terms of specific metrics like time saved or reduced risk, but I can say that reduced risk is significant.
Efficient utilization leads to cost savings and efficiency gains.
The response is very fast.
The customer support for Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is amazing.
The technical support from Cisco is satisfactory.
When issues occur, the TAC is not able to provide much support, leading to difficulties in finding RCAs.
It scales very well, and I can keep adding agents and scale as much as needed.
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is very scalable because I could deploy anywhere without any hardware needs, for example.
The scalability of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is pretty good; whenever we need more resources for management, if a customer's environment increases significantly, they can add more nodes to the manager within a 15-minute downtime, and it works well.
The solution offers high performance and scalability with connectivity options up to 100 GS.
The scalability of Cisco ACI supports our organization's growth effectively.
Expanding your network or your data center with Cisco ACI is not an issue; scalability is a good feature.
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is stable.
For stability, Cisco ACI rates a nine or 9.5 because I've seen three customers using Cisco ACI and once deployed, the solution is very stable.
In large environments, understanding all application dependencies and creating the right policies can take time and requires close coordination with application teams.
I think it is really valuable to take a course on Akamai Guardicore Segmentation because many things are not obvious in terms of how to do them correctly.
The price of Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is very expensive, but it is important to the enterprise.
Their lack of on-ground offices can result in business losses.
We do not make use of its visibility and analytics features, as we are mostly using it for the networking part only.
The pricing was flexible, and it has worked out well with our budget.
It has a fair cost for our business.
Concerning their pricing, it is not cheap, but it is reasonable with respect to the kind of market you have to face.
In general, Cisco ACI is on the higher side; it's not a cheap solution.
Cisco's pricing tends to be on the higher end compared to other vendors.
Cost is one thing that could be improved, as it is heavy for an emerging market like ours.
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation reduced risk because it blocked malicious ransomware and uninspected traffic.
We can create a policy based on labels such as application, environment, or role, allowing only required communication and blocking everything else, which significantly reduces the lateral movement risk.
The best feature Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers is great threat intelligence.
Cisco ACI provides substantial capability; you can design your network accordingly and it's part of the SDN family, providing many benefits to the organization, especially when moving from traditional network infrastructure.
Its features, like easy application deployment, short deployment time for new applications or software, and eliminating the hassle of STP, are appreciated.
It is essential for growing our data center connectivity and enablement for our customers.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Akamai Guardicore Segmentation | 15.2% |
| Cisco ACI | 3.8% |
| Other | 81.0% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 11 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 15 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 20 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 20 |
| Large Enterprise | 87 |
Akamai Guardicore Segmentation offers extensive visibility and micro-segmentation capabilities, integrating seamlessly with diverse environments to enhance security measures. Organizations benefit from its platform agnosticism and centralized firewall management, maximizing protection and operational efficiency.
Known for its detailed network visibility, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation streamlines security operations across different platforms. It facilitates ease of policy creation and allows for effective segmentation, even of legacy systems. With advanced threat intelligence and real-time traffic monitoring, organizations optimize security and compliance, reducing attack surfaces through precise process and port control. This capability extends to seamless operation in environments like Kubernetes and data centers, implementing Zero Trust security models and server-to-server segmentation.
What are the key features?In sectors like banking and financial services, Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is crucial for implementing Zero Trust models and enhancing server-to-server segmentation. These industries utilize its capabilities to replace traditional firewalls and manage complex environments, boosting security through application dependency mapping and optimized east-west traffic control.
Cisco ACI provides advanced capabilities with features like seamless integration with VMware and APIs for programmability. It offers centralized management for streamlined operations, efficient micro-segmentation, and robust security, addressing modern data center needs.
Cisco ACI brings automation to data center infrastructure, enabling transitions from legacy to modern environments with centralized management. Organizations benefit from optimized server farms, seamless integration with VMware, and support for Kubernetes, making it suitable for large-scale environments. Offering support for healthcare, finance, and public sectors, Cisco ACI facilitates tasks such as virtual networking and multi-site connectivity with application-centric and network-centric designs.
What are the key features of Cisco ACI?In the healthcare industry, Cisco ACI supports secure and efficient data management, accommodating regulatory needs and enhancing patient data handling. Financial institutions benefit from robust security and seamless integration with existing infrastructures, facilitating smooth transaction processing. In the public sector, it's utilized for reliable network management and servicing a diverse range of applications.
We monitor all Cloud and Data Center Security reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.